First Russian stealth fighter takes flight

Sukhoi T-50

There are news circulating the Internet that the first Russian stealth fighter had it’s first test flight. I have been a long time fan of Russian aviation (that is where my college username came from  – Fulcrum – codename for the Russian MiG-29).

I know that currently, Russian is far behind US aviation technology since the T-50 was designed to compete with the YF-22 Raptor and , according to the article, it will be a while before the it goes into service, but considering that it is Russia’s first new plane since the collapse of the Soviet Union, I am happy that they are still designing and building.

Lockheed Martin YF-22 Raptor

According to the spokeperson, the flight went very well and the plane flew for about 45 minutes. The types of maneuvers the plan was supposed to perform on it maiden flight were not disclosed. The fighter was designed by the Sukhoi Company, the designers of the some of the best Russian military aircraft and the experimental Su-47, who partners with Indian designers.

The T-50 does look remarkably like the YF-22, which it is supposed to compete against but, I suppose, that when it comes to modern stealth designs the shape would depend on the characteristics the aircraft is supposed to have. For a plane to achieve a certain level of stealth, it might have to follow a specific shape. In any case, it is great to see Russia confirm that it can still design and build aircraft that can hold their own.

Below is a YouTube video of the maiden flight of the T-50

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